Controlling means for electric conductors



July 12, 1-932- c. L. TAYLOR CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Original Filed June 22, 1929 INVENTOR I Patented July 12, 1932 PAT CLARENCE L. TAYLOR, OF'YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO ooNTnoLLfNe MEANS FOR nnncmmo coNnUo'roRs Application filed June 22,1929, Serial No. 372,876. Renewed December 5, 1931'.

My invention relates to means for controlling electric conductors connected to traveling devices. I have illustrated this in,- vention as applied to a trolley-on a traveling a crane, but it is to be understoodthat the invention may be applied to other structures than cranes.

There has heretofore been considerable difficulty in properly taking care of the various electric conductors which are con-' nected to electrically-controlled trolleys having travel on the beams or bridges of traveling cranes. If the conductors are suspended 7 same purpose, but they are not wholly satisfactory. t

It is the objectof this-invention todo away with suspended conductors, shoes, and other devices in the present practice for con necting electrical elements. on a traveling device, as a crane trolley, to suitable sources of current, and to provide in their stead a means which permits the ends of the conductors attached to the traveling device to travel therewith and at the same time causes the portions of the conductors between the traveling device and certain fixed points to move within confined and protected paths. Another object is to provide conductors of fixed lengths between .the trolley and the said points without requiring any substantial slackin the conductors. It is one object to'prevent slack'in the said conductors by taking it up as it tends to be'created. This I prefer to do by means of a carriage operated by the traveling device through draft exerted by the conductors or by a special draft cable accompanying the conductors, as hereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying'drawing, ig. 1 is an end elevation of a traveling and the frame members.

crane equipped withthe preferred form of my invention, the trolley being centrallybetween its limits of travel; Fig. 2, a fragmentary enlarged sectional view showing one of the carriage rollers in its relation to adja- ENT OFFICE cent elements. Fig. .3, a diagrammatic View showing the position of the trolley, the carriage and the conductors when the trolley is at one limit of its travel; and Fig. 4, a View similar'toFig. 3, but with the trolley at the other limit of its travel. 7

On the drawing, ldesignates'the runways supporting the rails 2 on which the wheels 3, of the bridge 4 of a traveling-crane move. 5 is a trolley having travel on rails (one only marked 6 being shown). on the bridge 4 transversely of the runways, and 6 is the crane operators cab. The apparatus so .fardescribed is old.

One side-of the bridge 4 is provided with the long shelf-like bracket 7 having thereon the rails 8'para'llel' withthe bridge and the travel of the trolley. A number of parallelrollers 9 have travel on the rails 8. The roll-' 11ers have annularflanges 10 bearing against,

the opposing faces of the rails to guide the rollers in their travel on the rails. The rollers have axles 11 whose ends project through and beyond the side bars or frame members 12 which lie at the ends of the rollers. Oottere pins 13 prevent the separation of the axles The rollers .9 and the side bars or frame membersconstitute a carriage indicated as awholexby'the nu f meral 14. l I The trolley 5 has the arm 15 extending out laterally therefrom and downwardlyclose to a'plane including theupper surface of the rollersp From the cab'22 to the trolley '5 there will be suflicient conductors or. cables carrying conductors to supply; current to the electric motor or motors on the trolle and to such other. electrical devices as may e carried thereon. To simplify the description itwill be assumed for the present that only two conductors 16;

and 17 are connected to the'trolley andthe cab, though there maybemore than-one, as

shown in Fig. 2. The conductors are clamped to the bridge below thecarriage 14 by any suitable means, as the plate 18. They are clamped mid-way between the ends of the bridge. The conductors pass right and left respectively on the rollers 19 which are mounted between the rails 8 and below the carriage 14. The conductors thence pass respectively up over the end rollers 9 of the carriage and thence toward each other on the rollers 9 to the arm 15 up which they pass to the trolley 5 to which or the arm 15 they are secured. Other conductors QO'and '21 may accompany the conductors 16 and 17 as in Fig. 2 where three'con'duct'orsoi cables containing conductor-sale, shown, The conductors should all be insulated in the usual or any preferred niannen Preferably the conductors arereasonably taut so as to prevent backlashwhen'tl e trolley moves in either direction. In case there are more than one conductor or there are cables containing more than one conductor, they will all be arranged like the conductors 16 and 17 and may all become draft lines for operating the carriage; If preferred, one of .the conductors or cables could "be a steel draft cable to relieve the current-carrying conductors from strain. I r v Fig. 4; shows the positionsof. the trolley, the carriage and the conductors 16 and 17 when' the trolley has moved substantiallyto its right hand limit. 1

I have not shown the elements to which the conductors are connected on the trolley,'no-'r have I shown any controller for distributing current to the said elements, nor have Ishown. the main current supply lines for the various elements since they are all wellfknown and can be applied by anyone skilled in the art to which this invention appertains.

I claim:

1. In combination, a traveling means, a carriage movable parallel with the traveling means, two draft lines, eachhaving one end attached to the travelingmeans and its other end fixedly secured to the opposite side of the carriage from the traveling" means, the intermediate portions of the draft line's being formedi'nto U-shaped loops loosely engaging the respective ends of the carriage, whereby the movement of the traveling means causes one draft line or the other to move-the car' riage; I I V 2. In combination, an'ele'ctrically operated the movement of the traveling means causes one draft line or the other to move the carria e. I

3, In CQIIlblIlLtlOII, a traveling means, a carriage movable parallel with the traveling means, aclosed loop loosely embracingthe carriage and extending in the direction of its travel, a fixed support for the loop at one side ofthe carriage, the loop at the opposite-side of the carriage being secured to the traveling means. i

4. In combination, an electrically controlledtraveling means, a carriage movable parallel with the traveling means, a c'losed loop loosely embracing the carriage and extending in the direction of its travel, a fixed.

support for the loop at one side of the carriage, the loop at the opposite side of the carriage being secured to the traveling means, and the loop comprising separate insulated electricconductors from the said support to. the traveling means.

5.. In combination, a traveling crane con taining a bridge and an electrically controlled trolley having travel thereon,-a carriage having travel on the bridge below the trolley, a pair of electric conductors attached to the bridgebelow the carriage and respectively loosely passing right and left beneath the carriage and over the ends thereof and above the carriage and being attached to the trolley.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature. p

' CLARENCE L. TAYLOR. 

